Shine on, Christmas light

I’ve just returned from Winnipeg after attending the funeral of a precious family member; sad as the occasion was, the deep sense of love and family unity warmed the heart, easing the pain.

In a seeming mood of condolence, even the “Winterpeg” weather behaved better than usual. In fact, instead of the characteristically cruel cold of December, sunshine and slightly below zero temperatures prevailed. Ironically, I returned home to the west coast to sunshine and below zero temperatures rather than to the usual rain and grey skies.

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I needed that light and at this point I feel as if I also need Christmas celebrations to keep both my thoughts and responsibilities focused on blessing others.

While it’s all too easy to mentally transform the stench and darkness of the stable into a fictionalized spa-like setting for the birth of Christ, and it’s easy to forget that even the mention of His existence transformed a power-hungry king into a mass murderer of babies – all in an attempt to eliminate Light – Christmas is all about light.

That night the angels sang and light pierced the darkness of a stable. In His ministry, Jesus declared Himself to be the “light of the world.”

At the risk of sounding negative and reflecting gloominess, we live in a world where focusing on ourselves is not only prevalent, it’s encouraged; often, benevolence and good will enters and exits in December. As we enter this 2018 Christmas season, may we determine to bring His light into the lives of folks from this season right through until the next one.

The apostle Paul was inspired in his description: “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God….”

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